Our History

WTI’s rich history tells a story of growth and achievement, a result one man’s vision, enduring work ethic and focus on the customer.

WTI’s founder, Wolf Ludwig, immigrated to the United States in the late sixties, a 23-year old master butcher with only dollars in his pocket. What started as Wolf’s passion for sausage making and an unyielding entrepreneurial spirit, laid the foundation for what became the functional food ingredient company we now know as WTI, a global company respected for pioneering innovative solutions to the industry’s greatest food safety challenges.

WTI is proud to showcase a long history of milestone achievements.

1967

Wolf Ludwig immigrates to the Unites States from West Germany, with his wife, Ursel, and two young sons, Ralf and Peter. He gets his feet on the ground working first as a German Master Butcher and sausage maker, then as an application specialist, and later a salesman, for a large collagen casing manufacturer. He then moved into sales of capital equipment for a leading industry supplier.

1977

With $1,000 invested and a small garage in which to house his new company, Wolf forms Wolf-tec, a company dedicated to providing innovative equipment and superior quality service to the food processing industry.

1983

WTI is established as WTI Market Supplies, a sister company to Wolf-tec, which provided knife sharpening services and market supplies to the meat processing industry.

1989

WTI enters the ingredients market, with its first product, Myosol®, a liquid phosphate. Myosol was originally developed to be used in an innovative meat massaging process developed by Wolf-tec. Customers begin presenting their challenges to WTI, which drove WTI into further developing unique functional food ingredients.

2000

2002

WTI grows the Ional® product line once again to include Ional® LC, which is specifically formulated to inhibit the growth of Listeria monocytogenes.

2003

WTI moves its operation from Kingston, New York to Jefferson, Georgia and breaks ground on the new facility.

2005

WTI launches into research to identify the next level naturally-derived organic acid and discovers the unique properties of vinegar as a base for further development.

2005

WTI custom builds its current facility in Georgia and begins manufacturing dry and liquid products on-site in a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility. Because of the importance of working hand-in-hand with our customers to find solutions, a food processing lab as well as a R&D Pilot Plant are included as key elements in the new facility. The Biosafety Level 2 laboratory was added in 2014.

2005

WTI introduces reduced sodium versions of its Ional® product line.

2005

WTI receives AIB certification, and will continue to do so until 2012, when we became BRC certified.

2006

WTI introduces our patented TenderIn® product line, a natural/clean label phosphate alternative that doesn’t affect organoleptic attributes. At the same time, WTI scales up our production with state-of-the-art manufacturing technology.

2014

2015

Wolf Ludwig is recognized as a leader in the industry and is inducted into the Meat Industry Hall of Fame.

2015

WTI completes installation of solar panels, which at the time, were the biggest privately-owned solar system in Georgia. On a good day, the panels provide up to 50% of the energy the facility consumes.

2016

The American Certified Research Laboratories (ACRL) received accreditation to ISO 17025:2005 to meet customer third-party lab testing needs.

2017

Upon Wolf Ludwig’s untimely passing in Jan 2017, leadership has been assumed by his sons, Ralf & Peter. They are committed to upholding Wolf’s passion and values as the industry’s leading source of functional ingredients.